Returnable practice golf ball



1962 N. CABOT 3,051,491

RETURNABLE PRACTICE GOLF BALL Filed May 15, 1959 F/G.3 F/G.4 F/G.5

INVENTOR FIG. 6 NAT CA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,051,491 RETURNABLE PRACTIQE GULF BALL Nat Cabot, 843 Maple Lane, East Meadow, NY. Filed May 15, 1959, Ser. No. 813,451 1 Claim. (Cl. 2732llil) This invention relates generally to practice golf balls and more specifically to golf balls of this type which are tethered.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a tethered golf ball which will return to the proximate area of the golfer if hit correctly, and to either side of the golfer it hit incorrectly.

A further object is to provide a tethered ball having a special pin holding device.

A still further object is to provide a tethered ball which can be adjusted to the individual power and ability of the golfer.

A still further object is to provide a tethered ball device in which the cord can be repaired simply by retying it, if the cord should happen to tear at any point.

A still further object is to provide a tethered ball having a safety feature, whereby, if the cord tears away, as it might during flight, the ball will remain attached to the main line.

A still further object is to provide a tethered return ball which will not snap back and injure the golfer such as has happened with prior devices of this type.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be "hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claim hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view of the complete unit showing the tethering means, cord and ball.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of the ball partially cut away and showing attaching means.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of one type of pin holding device.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of another form of pin holding device.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view showing still another form of pin.

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view showing still another form of pin.

In the above mentioned drawings annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification, I have shown but one embodiment of my invention which is deemed preferable, but it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring now to the different drawings more in de tail, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures and referring more particularly to the preferred form of my invention selected for illustrative purposes, numeral 10 represents the tethering block having pins 11 and 12 driven through apertures therein and into ground 13. Attaching means 14 holds one end of spring 15 to said block, the other end of the spring being attached to cord 16, which cord may be of any suitable material, nylon preferably, as it resists wear, rot, and other damage.

The other end of cord 16 is attached to one eye 17 of a swivel 19, the other eye 18 being attached to the eye of a pin 20. If desired, an oval ring or link (not shown) may be substituted for the swivel 19. The pin 20 has the general structure of a cotter pin, with the lower portions of the arms bent outwardly to form shoulders 23 and 24 and then bent back inwardly so that the ends of the arms are together. This allows the pin to be easily inserted into a recess in the ball, and upon further forcing of the pin into the ball, the shoulders 23 and 24 will prevent withdrawal of the pin by impinging against the sides of the recess.

Pins 21 and 22 show modifications of the pin 20, utilizing the same principle of shoulders preventing withdrawal of the pin from the recess.

A safety feature is shown in FIGURE 2, an additional cord 25, or merely a loop of the tether cord, bypasses the swivel or oval loop, whichever happens to be used, and will prevent the ball from becoming detached from the cord if the swivel or knot in the tether cord happens to break.

The ball 26 has a recess formed or drilled therein, said recess extending beyond the half way point of the diameter. A grommet or washer 27 is positioned at the month of the recess and may be either inside the recess or outside as shown.

In using the device, the golfer first places the block 10 on the ground at the desired position, then pins 11 and 12 are driven into the ground to hold the block immobile. The golfer then carries the ball away from the block until the cord is extended to its full length, then places the ball on a tee and drives it directly towards the block. If the ball is driven accurately, directly over the block, and continues on in a straight course, it will, when it reaches the end of its tether, return directly back towards the golfer and come to rest in the proximate area in which it was originally placed. If the ball is not accurately driven, but is sliced or hit to either side, it will not return to the area from which it was driven, thus showing the golfer that he has not properly hit the ball.

The shock imparted to the various portions of the device when the ball reaches the end of its tether is distributed throughout the length of the tether cord, which being of nylon or other suitable material, has an inherent resiliency, the shock also being absorbed by the stretching of the spring 15. This stretching of the spring and cord results in the ball being returned to the area close to where it was hit, as the spring and cord contract after reaching their extended position.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is therefore claime in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A tethered golf ball practice device comprising a ball having an eye fixed thereto and arranged adjacent to its exterior surface, a tethering cord having one end secured to the ground, link means comprising a swivel connecting the other end of said tethering cord with the eye of said ball, and an additional cord of greater length than said link means in the vform of a loop connected at one end to the end of the tether cord attached to said link means and passing freely through the eye of the ball and having a knot on its other end larger than said eye, to thereby bypass said link means and become operative to prevent the ball from becoming detached from the tether cord if the link means happens to break during use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

